Get More Out Of Trade Shows With A Hybrid Exhibit Strategy

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Get More Out Of Trade Shows With A Hybrid Exhibit Strategy

1/1/2022
With the right approach, trade shows work. They tick multiple marketing boxes at once, including brand awareness, lead generation, and sales acceleration. A hybrid exhibit strategy can take what works in person to another level. Having the right technology and audio visual expertise is key.

Like a hybrid event strategy, a hybrid exhibit strategy leverages the reach and diversity of online audiences by using the in-person booth as a home base and content generator. Before the pandemic, a lack of infrastructure (software platforms to organize and aggregate the online audience) limited such outreach. Today, it's possible to plug into a growing community outside the four walls of the brick-and-mortar venue.

Streaming content from the in-person booth
What happens at the show stays at the show, unless the exhibitor broadcasts those memorable moments - a cooking competition, for example - beyond the booth. A bank of remote-controlled pan-tilt-zoom robotic cameras mounted above the contestants can help deliver all that broadcast-quality stirring and sautéing to Facebook, YouTube, or a show "hub." Remote attendees can comment or ask questions online, which screens in the booth can display.

In-booth broadcast studios can be the best way to capture live interviews. Depending on the size of the studio, stationary cameras can capture all the angles and close-ups needed of participants seated comfortably on a sofa, chairs, or behind a desk. Exhibitors can stream the live feed to video-conferencing software that permits remote viewers to ask questions. The content can also be archived and gated on the exhibitor's website.

Sometimes remote viewers want a more immersive experience than a stationary presenter or interviewer can deliver. Hand-held cameras and crews can provide more spontaneity, for example, by allowing in-person booth staffers to move in and around a product and highlight an area of interest in response to questions from online participants.

Mixing digital and in-person components
A hybrid exhibit strategy can improve the in-booth experience for live attendees. Featuring technical experts, celebrities, or influencers via video to present and participate in question-and-answer sessions can offer a more immersive attendee experience. Ensuring the video feed and sound quality and streamlining the interaction between the live audience members and video guests is crucial.

In hybrid trade shows, companies can have both in-person and virtual booths that complement one another. In-person or remote booth staff can monitor virtual booth inquiries. A camera that periodically changes views of the in-person booth (think web cam) can feed content to the virtual booth. The feed can also be augmented with a chyron, scrolling words at the bottom of the screen (think CNN), to provide context and improve the experience of virtual viewers.

A hybrid exhibit strategy requires more than placing technicians and equipment in a booth and streaming content to a virtual audience. Hybrid exhibiting commands an understanding of how to blend two different experiences - the intimacy of in-person meetings and the efficiency of virtual learning. Partnering with an audio visual company that understands how to achieve critical business outcomes in both worlds is essential.

About the Author:
Brett S. Hyams is a Senior Solution Sales Executive with SmartSource® with over 25 years of event industry experience.

Contact:
dchurch@thesmartsource.com